In database management, the use of partitioned tables may improve performance and manageability of large tables. Prior art partitioning techniques include one dimensional range, list, and hash partitioning. In addition, prior art partitioning techniques include composite partitioning, which is a two level combination of the range, list, and hash portioning techniques. The main drawback of partitioning is the need for database administrator involvement in the management of partitioned tables and the administrative overhead that follows.
Creating and maintaining partitions in many modern database management system (DBMS) products is complex and cumbersome. What is needed is a streamlined mechanism to create and manage partitions in a database.